Durians and debate: Was SIA's new safety video creatively too safe?

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has never treated its safety videos as mere housekeeping. Its latest release, created in collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), is no exception.

The new film mixes essential safety instructions with sweeping shots of Singapore’s landmarks and communities. Cabin crew demonstrate procedures amid lion dance troupes, kolam artists, silat practitioners, and even an aqua aerobics team. Watercolour-inspired effects, drawn from the nation’s mural scene, lend a soft, artistic touch.

Rolling out progressively across all SIA flights from October 2025, the video has already made its debut across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X, and LinkedIn. The new video also made headlines in publications such as The Straits Times, Channel NewsAsia and South China Morning Post.

While the airline positioned it as a creative way to highlight culture alongside safety, the reception amongst ad land has been mixed.

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But what about the actual public?

According to media intelligence firm CARMA, conversations around SIA in the days following the launch carried 16.8% positive sentiment and 8.4% negative sentiment. The durian and satay cameos became unexpected stars of the show, sparking chatter ranging from amusement to skepticism. Some netizens praised the creativity, while others felt the video leaned too heavily into tourism promotion at the expense of clarity.

Criticism also surfaced around delivery, with some describing it as “robotic” compared to the previous iteration. Yet many still appreciated the visual storytelling, particularly the way scenes flowed together.

Data from Truescope showed that the video generated 49,837 social engagements between 4 and 8 September 2025, with TikTok driving half of the conversation. Instagram followed with 35.6%, while Facebook and online news made up the rest.

Much of the discourse circled around five recurring themes:

1. Production quality and creativity
2. Cultural representation
3. Comparison to previous video
4. Durian scene reactions
5. Tourism promotion value

Viewers repeatedly highlighted the production quality and creativity, praising the cinematography and the hand-drawn, watercolour-inspired effects, with some even noting that it felt more carefully crafted than the AI-driven content dominating feeds today.

Cultural representation also stood out, as audiences appreciated how the film showcased Singapore’s diversity and everyday life, with heartland scenes in particular striking an emotional chord.

At the same time, nostalgia was hard to ignore. Many drew comparisons to the old video, with loyalists insisting the previous version (below) carried more excitement and had become iconic over its long run. The new durian sequence, linking the spiky fruit to oxygen masks, emerged as an unexpected viral moment, sparking laughter and countless comments across platforms.

Lastly, underpinning it all was a recognition of the film’s tourism value, with some netizens describing it as just as much a destination ad as a safety briefing, designed to spark curiosity among first-time visitors.

Ad land weighs in

As the online chatter settles, industry veterans had their own take on the video. Robert Gaxiola, director of innovation at Playbook XP, who was formerly an ECD at several agency networks said that he enjoyed the “local colour” which was polished and presented well. What he questioned, however, was whether this was the “right way to present a safety video in 2025 for the best airline in the world.”

“I like the new safety video, but it feels like a derivative of what has been done before,” he said. Adding on, he mentioned that as a father of two, what he would rather is a “real safety video so everybody in the cabin knows what to do”.

“No tricks, no gimmicks, just clear and useful information on what to do during a flight emergency,” he said, adding:

Save the rich cultural imagery for the destination video upon arrival.

Fiona Bartholomeusz, founder and managing director of creative agency F8, echoed similar concerns. She said that while the video has great production quality, it sells Singapore like a “packaged STB ad” and comes across as “a little bit of a snooze-fest.”

“I don’t sense the excitement of the city, how advanced it is, the cohesiveness of how everything just works, and how there are interesting, authentic elements that make Singapore the gem that it is,” she explained, adding that the last safety feature felt better that the current iteration which is “more of the same”.

She also noted that a national carrier’s safety video should make visitors excited about the city they are about to visit, give citizens and residents a sense of pride about their home, and most importantly, get people to actually pay attention and understand the necessary steps in an emergency. She added: 

A safety video ironically, doesn’t really have to be 'safe' in concept and execution. A missed opportunity here.

Farrokh Madon, chief creative officer at Pirate who previously worked as a creative chief with the likes of Dentsu B2B APAC and BBDO Singapore, was more forgiving of the creative approach. He said the video did well in showcasing Singapore culture, giving travellers a sense of the heritage and quirks that inform the hospitality SIA is known for.

“Like the love for durian, which can be alluring for some and make others reach for an oxygen mask. That was a cute and memorable touch,” he said. 

But for him, the execution left room for improvement. “I don’t like the overly desaturated look and feel of the film. The colour grading leaves a lot to be desired. And yes, I am not a fan of the overly diffused soft look in the film. Feels like someone rubbed Vaseline on the camera lens,” he said.

Looking beyond craft, Madon added that such a culturally rich safety video could still contribute positively to SIA’s long-term brand equity.

“It reinforces the culture that leads to our unique brand of hospitality. It also does a good job of working hand-in-hand with STB’s drive to get travellers flying to various locations in the world to at least consider a brief stopover here to enjoy Singapore and its culture.”

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